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6
DAYS SOUTHERN ADVENTURE
VIENTIANE – CHAMPASSAK – KHONG ISLAND – PAKSE
Private Tour: DINA-LACHAM
ITINERARY:
DAY
1 : VIENTIANE – PAKSE – CHAMPASSAK (L,D)
Pick up at the hotel and transfer to Vientiane
Wattay airport for flight to Pakse. Meet upon arrival at
Pakse airport and transfer to the pier. Board a local
long-tail riverboat and cruise down the Mekong River,
heading south towards the former royal capital of
Champassak. Arrival in Champassak and check-in at the
hotel.
Lunch at the hotel.
Visit the pre-Angkorian Vat Phou Temple (6th-13th
centuries). Vat Phou Temple lies on a hillside and
offers spectacular views on the surrounding plains and
on the Mekong River. Hindu Khmer probably chose the site
because of the spring that flows from near the top of
the hill. Vat Phou Temple was listed as a World Heritage
site by UNESCO in 2002. Dinner and accommodation at
hotel.
DAY 2: CHAMPASSAK - BAN KHIAT
NGONG (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Drive to the Suay minority village of Ban Khiat Ngong.
The Suay men are traditionally engaged in elephant
training, especially for the timber trade. Ban Khiat
Ngong village has a community project offering basic but
comfortable accommodation in the 240,000 square
kilometer Xe Pien National Biodiversity Conservation
Area, which consists of a combination of wetlands and
highland primary rainforest. This day, explore the
highlands and take an elephant ride trough the primitive
jungle to visit the enigmatic ruins of Phou Asa Temple.
Picnic lunch.
Return to Ban Khiat Ngong village, located in the
wetland area. At sunset, short walk to reach the Ban
Khiat Ngong pond and see myriads of birds flying back to
their nests. Dinner and accommodation at the guest
house.
DAY 3: BAN KHIAT NGONG (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the guesthouse.
Full day trekking through the wetlands to observe the
amazing diversity of the fauna and flora. The area is
home to rare species of birds such as Blyths
Kingfishers, Crested Warblers, White Shouldered Ibis,
Painted Storks and White Breasted Waterhen. Most of
these birds being migratory, the best traveling period
lasts from October to March.
Picnic lunch en route.
Dinner and accommodation at the guest house.
DAY 4: BAN KHIAT NGONG –
KHONG ISLAND (B,L,D)
Breakfast at the guesthouse.
Drive to Ban Hatsaykhoune and take a ferry to cross the
Mekong River towards Khong Island, located in the scenic
Siphandone region (Four Thousand Islands). Khong Island,
with its lovely fishing villages, its serene monasteries
and its lush vegetation offers a unique opportunity to
experience the peaceful Lao way of life.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Take a bike-ride to explore Khong Island. Visit Vat
Hangkhong, considered as the oldest temple on the
island, Ban Huay village and continue to Muang Sene to
enjoy the sunset over the Mekong River. Dinner and
accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 5 : KHONG ISLAND(B,L,D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Cruise along the backwaters to explore Siphandone.
During the rainy season, the Mekong River reaches a
breadth of 14 kms, the river’s widest reach along its
4,350 km journey from the Tibetan Plateau towards the
South China Sea; when the river recedes, it leaves
behind thousands of islands and islets. Visit the
surrounding islands of Done Ket and Done Som for a
glimpse into the traditional lifestyle of the fishermen.
Continue to Done Khone Island.
Lunch at local restaurant in Ban Khone.
Visit Done Khone Island and hike along its ancient
railway built by the French in 1897 in order to bypass
the powerful rapids when transporting goods from
Cambodia. Continue to Sumphamith Waterfall. In the dry
season, the Irrawaddy Dolphins, one of the world’s
rarest large mammal species, congregate at the base of
the rapids to hunt the fish that survive in the deep
pools. Spend a relaxing hour watching these extremely
shy and endangered freshwater dolphins. Return by boat
to Khong Island. Dinner and accommodation at the hotel.
DAY 6: KHONG ISLAND – KHONE PHAPHENG – PAKSE (B,L)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Board a local long-tail riverboat to reach the fishing
village of Ban Phiengdy and continue by car to the
magnificent Khone Phapheng Waterfall, the largest
cascade along the Mekong River. A fault line caused the
cascade, which is 6 km wide at this point, and the
astonishing force of the water has cut dramatic gorges
through the brittle bedrock.Lunch at local restaurant.
Drive back to Pakse and drop off at the hotel.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION
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Thavisap
Hotel
(Standard) |
Champassak,
Champassak Province, Lao PDRTel / Fax: (856-31)
212 225 |
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KingFisher
Ecolodge
(Standard) |
Ban Khiet
Ngong, Pathoumphone District, Lao PDR
Tel / Fax: |
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Villa Muang
Khong
(Standard) |
Ban Khankhong,
Khong District, Lao PDR
Tel / Fax: (856-31) 213 011 |
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